First Report of Meloidogyne incognita Infecting Mitragyna speciosa in the United States

Abstract

Kratom (Mitragyna speciosa) belongs to the coffee family of Rubiaceae. The tree is native to Southeast Asia and primarily grown in Malaysia, Thailand, and Indonesia. Recently, it has been introduced and cultivated in other countries including the United States. The leaves and extracts of the leaves are used for medicinal and recreational purposes. In February 2022, kratom root and soil samples were submitted to the University of Florida Nematode Assay Laboratory for diagnosis by a commercial grower in Florida. Root galls were observed on the roots. On examination of soil and root samples, it is revealed that high numbers of root-knot nematodes (Meloidogyne sp.) are present. Molecular species identification was performed by a combination of the mitochondria haplotyping and species-specific primer techniques using TRNAH/MHR106 and MORF/MTHIS primer sets and Meloidogyne incognita-specific primers (MIF/MIR). The root-knot nematode infecting kratom is identified as M. incognita by molecular analysis. To our knowledge, this paper is the first report of M. incognita infecting kratom in the United States.

Clinical Implications of Kratom (Mitragyna speciosa) Use: a Literature Review

“…While in Asia kratom has been used with a limited number of associated health hazards [ 25 , 108 ], most of the safety issues have been reported in the West, mainly among users ingesting kratom on a daily basis in combination with other drugs, such as prescription medicines (e.g., antipsychotic, antidepressant, and hypnotic drugs, among others) and psychoactive substances (e.g., amphetamine, methamphetamine, cyclopropyl fentanyl, opioids, ethanol) [ 76 , 88 , 108 ]. Unscheduled contaminants/adulterants in kratom products (e.g., propyl-hexedrine, phenyl-ethylamine, O-desmethyl-tramadol, hydrocodone, and morphine) [ 90 , 96 •, 97 •, 100 ], microbes (e.g., Salmonella, M. incognita), and toxic metals (lead and nickel) [ 109 ••, 110 ••, 111 ••] have also been found responsible for toxicities. Furthermore, MG was identified as a contributing factor to some fatalities [ 112 ].…”